Who We Are
KZ_K Studio is a NYC-based modernist luxury ready-to-wear brand founded in 2009 by Polish fashion designer Karolina Zmarlak and design entrepreneur Jesse Keyes.
We are rooted in minimalist, multi-functional womenswear for forward-thinking cosmopolitan women who embrace sleek silhouettes and technologically advanced materials. Every piece is built to endure — refined and integratable across seasons, designed for a lifetime of use and versatility.
Our team works out of KZ_K Studio’s Great Jones Street studio, an architecturally designed multi-functional space (paralleling the design vision of the collections) with a showroom, library bar, team cocina, design atelier, and rooftop terraza, where we host showings, private stylings, and community-led get togethers.
Our Pillars:
- Design Discipline — KZ_K Studio designs are grounded in modernist aesthetics, inventing design details that enable multi-functionality. Utilizing technically advanced fabrics we can also explore the creative tenets of architectural modernism. Both disciplines result in a refined, stylized minimalism.
- Architecture Studio Mentality — We prioritize ongoing, deep dialogue with clients to understand their needs and inspire communicative creativity through in-person conversations and experiences. We adhere to a philosophy of dialectic communication to come to a common understanding of product purpose and aesthetics.
- Slow Fashion — We design all pieces for a lifetime of use, through trusted manufacturing partners in NYC’s Garment District, decades long relationships with Japanese textile and European leather mills, and, ultimately, we engender loyal client relationships. It’s a closed loop of trust, creativity, execution and product meaning.
- Rearview Innovation — We embrace an atelier culture, committed to meticulous craftsmanship and lasting, product-based functionality. Technologically based communications are not to be used simply because they are new and may “reach” clients. The substance and understanding of any reach is what matters. Discerning clients look for genuine relationships, not artificially generated ones.
Your Role
This individual supports KZ_K Studio’s Production team in the Planning and Logistics as related to the sampling and production process. The Production Coordinator for KZ_K will have direct day-to-day involvement with the designer, and team, located in the NYC’s Garment District (as well as in our Great Jones Street Studio) working on specific aspects of product development, responsible for the roles outlined, working under the direction the Production Development team, the designer, Karolina Zmarlak, and director, Jesse Keyes.
You will experience precision design and communications at the highest level of quality and creativity.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Managing communications for fabric vendors, production facilities, pattern makers, and sample houses
- Prepare/maintain cost sheets per style, build out seasonal Cost Planning and Budgets sheets (with guidance from Director) and negotiate costs (with guidance) with factories and partners to sustain budgetary constraints
- Develop production calendar to meet all shipment and delivery deadlines
- Support in monitoring factories daily to ensure garments are held to company’s quality expectation standards and to meet shipping deadlines
- Communicate, track and allocate goods from all domestic and international agents necessary for production
- Support in quality control to ensure all garments are finished up to our standard
- Support in directing assistants and interns within the company
- Interact regularly with the entire KZ_K team (design, marketing and sales), to ensure clear, efficient and effective product development in support to the KZ_K objectives
- Pre analysis for production, looking at previous production cycle to project for the next, looking at sell throughs, good selling looks, and styles to help give feedback on production quantity decisions, and building out the BUDGET and analyzing SEASON PRODUCTION COSTS
- Inquire about all fabrics and materials used in sampling to the mills to check stock, checking availability and estimated lead time to produce
- Manage logistics of delivery and payment of fabrics and leathers, located in Japan and France, respectively
QUALIFICATIONS
- Individual must be a self-starter with strong problem-solving skills and great sense of urgency
- Must be passionate about the fashion industry and a deep desire to learn the intricacies of the product lifecycle
- Preferred language skills in Mandarin Chinese but not required
- Strong understanding of retail math
- Extremely strong organizational skills, attention to detail and accuracy
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
- Versatile and flexible; embraces change and is consistently able to develop and adapt to the needs of the business
- Exercises sound judgment and maintains composure with both internal and external partners
- Resourceful, hands-on, and able to sense urgency
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- Expected 2+ years relevant fashion production experience (or deep experience as intern in luxury production)
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
- Excellent in: Excel, Google Suite, and Proficient in Inflow (or familiar with similar inventory management systems)
- Background in luxury fashion preferred